Malphegor
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Ch. 121: An Ordinary Family: Food
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 08:18:37 +0000 UTCIn the darkness, Kizashi walked forward slowly. The light from the simple torch in his hand swept over every gap between the boulders. In one of the gaps stood an uneven stone, different in color from the surrounding rocks.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a stone—it was a hidden dwarf!
As the torchlight hit it, the dwarf suddenly opened its eyes and drew a polished bone spear from behind its back, thrusting it toward him.
"Gah!" he grunted, quickly stepping back to dodge the attack. But the dwarf wasn't giving up and kept stabbing at Kizashi's head with the bone spear.
He tilted his head slightly, dodging the lethal strike as a foul wind brushed past his ear. Too close. I'm getting sloppy. Then, he swung his kunai, deflecting the bone spear to the side. Taking advantage of its inability to recover quickly, he stepped forward and thrust his kunai upward, stabbing the dwarf under its chin.
The sharp blade almost penetrated its entire small head, and warm blood flowed onto his hand.
He quickly pulled out his kunai and shook off the blood from his hand, ensuring his grip on the weapon wouldn't be compromised by the wetness. So far, he had already dealt with three dwarves.
As he had suspected, these creatures indeed hid in the gaps between the boulders, waiting silently for an opportunity to ambush.
Deadly in surprise, but predictable after.
Though the dwarves were small, their strength was equivalent to that of an average adult man. These dwarves specialized in ambushes and setting traps, but it seemed this skill was an inherent racial trait due to their cowardly nature, rather than a sign of intelligence.
For example, once their ambushes failed, they would attack frantically, their moves chaotic and without strategy. Even after Kizashi had slashed open their bellies, they wouldn't stop, desperately attacking even as their intestines spilled out.
It was as if they couldn't feel any pain.
They don't stop. Don't feel pain. What kind of monsters are these?
Originally, Kizashi had wanted to capture one of the dwarves to ask about the whereabouts of his daughter and wife, but facing such a crazed enemy with whom communication was impossible, he had no choice but to kill them on the spot.
"Can't even ask where my family is. Damn these creatures!" he muttered under his breath.
As he went deeper, he noticed candlelight flickering in a distant gap between the rocks. He immediately placed his torch on the ground and quietly approached the gap, peering inside. What he saw was a low wooden table, on which stood a fine silver candle holder with three lit white candles.
On the other side of the table, a dwarf chopped something on the table.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dwarf was repeatedly chopping with a butcher's knife.
What's it chopping?
After chopping for a long time, the dwarf finally split whatever it was and then walked over to a nearby pot of boiling water. It scooped up some broth with a ladle and tasted it, like a chef sampling his dish.
Kizashi took the opportunity to see what the dwarf had been chopping on the wooden table. The once-whole piece of meat had been crudely chopped into four parts, its bright red color proving that it was fresh. The four pieces were small enough to fit perfectly into the pot.
As the dwarf tasted the broth, it seemed satisfied. It then scooped up the four pieces of meat and tossed them into the pot. In that brief moment before the meat hit the pot, Kizashi recognized it.
It looked like... No! No, it can't be!
Suddenly, his head spun, and his legs moved uncontrollably. He let out a low growl and charged at the dwarf like a beast.
"You monsters! I'll kill you all!" he roared.
Hearing the sound, the dwarf quickly spotted Kizashi and raised its butcher's knife to meet him. The knife clashed with the kunai, producing a sharp metallic sound. His kunai was slightly pushed back.
Feeling the pain in his hand from the impact, he regained some clarity and focused his attention on the dwarf in front of him. This dwarf was far stronger than an ordinary dwarf due to its constant chopping tasks. In several exchanges, it overpowered him.
However, Kizashi had the advantage of speed. As the dwarf's movements became too wide, leaving it vulnerable, he sidestepped and slashed its back. But like the other dwarves, this wound wasn't enough to stop it.
It raised its knife again, attacking him furiously, swinging wildly left and right. He dodged and counterattacked, slashing the dwarf's skin multiple times.
Despite its injuries, the dwarf became even more frenzied.
Kizashi stepped back from the dwarf's attack range and glanced down, noticing the pot of hot broth at his feet. Sometimes the best weapon isn't a weapon at all.
He grabbed the handle and threw the pot at the dwarf. The fragile clay pot shattered on its head, spilling hot broth all over its body, and the meat scattered across the ground.
"Ahhh!"
At that moment, the dwarf seemed to regain its sense of pain, letting out a piercing scream that echoed through the cave. However, this scream didn't evoke any pity in Kizashi; it only disgusted him further.
The dwarf dropped its butcher's knife and clutched at its wounds. He seized the opportunity, swiftly moving forward and plunging his kunai into its head, finishing it off.
At that moment, he heard footsteps running through a nearby gap between the rocks.
No time to rest.
He knew he couldn't fight all these dwarves head-on, so he grabbed a burning stick from the fire and ran in the other direction.
Faster. They're coming. Can't fight them all.
Soon after, three dwarves rushed into the area. Seeing the mess and the dead dwarf on the ground, the leading dwarf let out a beast-like roar. After the howl, instead of chasing him, it grabbed one of the other dwarves and started biting into its head.
Kizashi, still running through the cave, didn't have time to search for other dwarves. Once he realized no one was chasing him, he slowed down.
From his wild sprint, he had stumbled into a strange place. There were numerous small gaps between the rocks, many of them blocked by wooden doors. Next to these doors were large stones, likely used to keep the doors shut.
Cells. They're keeping people here. Food?
Judging by the dwarf's behavior, the degraded food must be human meat. These must be holding cells. Most of the doors weren't blocked, indicating they were empty, except for one door that had a large stone in front of it.
This one's occupied. Could it be...?
He cautiously approached and called out, "Mebuki? Are you there?"
"Kizashi? Darling? Is it really you?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Kizashi felt like he had been reborn.
With great difficulty, he moved the large stone blocking the door. He opened the wooden door just enough for himself to squeeze through.
Upon seeing Mebuki inside, he broke into tears.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" he rushed to embrace her.
"I knew you'd come. I never doubted," Mebuki whispered.
The two held each other tightly, relief washing over them. But the moment was short-lived as reality set in. They separated quickly, both acutely aware of the danger surrounding them.
"Let's go," he said urgently, already moving towards the exit.
"No, you must go find Sakura," Mebuki shook her head and then looked down, gesturing toward her foot.
He followed her gaze and saw that even though her ankle was wrapped in cloth, blood had soaked through, nearly dripping onto the ground.
"What happened to your foot?"
"When I was chasing after Sakura, I stepped into one of those creatures' traps," Mebuki explained, wincing as she shifted her weight. "I was careless."
Kizashi suddenly remembered that the dwarves were experts in setting traps. He, a former ninja, could avoid them, but ordinary people wouldn't be as vigilant.
Fortunately, her trap wasn't fatal, only immobilizing her before the dwarves captured her. These wretched dwarves, though cannibalistic, disliked eating spoiled human flesh, so most of their traps weren't deadly. Their intent was to capture people alive and eat them slowly.
"But I can't just leave you here!" he protested.
"Put me in another cell. There should be more like this one nearby."
Risky, but clever. Kizashi nodded, understanding her plan.
With his help, she limped into a neighboring cell. This way, when the dwarves came to check, they'd assume she had escaped and search elsewhere, unaware she was just next door. The safest place is often the most dangerous one.
"I'll be back for you. I promise."
"I know. Now go, save our daughter," Mebuki replied, giving him a weak smile.
He figured others had likely escaped this way before, as the cells weren't sturdy. One could push aside the stone blocking the door from inside and leave. However, the real challenge lay in navigating the tunnels. The dwarves ambushed key exit points, making it nearly impossible to escape alive.
After securing Mebuki, he resumed his search for their daughter, Sakura. He searched several nearby cells but found no trace of her, meaning she was being held elsewhere.
"Not here. Not here either. Damn it all!"
He had already checked most of the branching paths leading to this area, so he had no choice but to walk deeper into the tunnels. At the end of a narrow passageway, Kizashi spotted a faint light.
Approaching quietly, he saw a dwarf crouched in the corner, stroking something. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a little girl's pink hair.
My baby girl...
"Sakura!" Kizashi couldn't contain his excitement and immediately called out her name.
Hearing her father's voice, Sakura looked up in surprise, "Daddy!"
He quickly calmed himself and advanced toward the dwarf beside Sakura, brandishing his kunai.
"Sakura, stay away from that creature!"
As he menacingly approached, the dwarf didn't attack but instead recoiled slightly, gazing at him with a look of fear. This dwarf was much smaller than the others, barely taller than Sakura. It was likely a dwarf child. But despite it being a child, he had seen the viciousness of this race and had no intention of sparing her.
Just then, Sakura stepped in front of the little dwarf, "Dad! Don't kill her. She's my friend!"
Friend? Has she lost her mind?
"She even gave me food," Sakura added, gesturing to an empty bowl nearby.
Looking at the empty bowl, Kizashi remembered how he had seen the dwarves preparing food earlier. Their food was... human flesh!
My daughter... eating human flesh! Overcome with anguish, he turned his head in pain but then glared at the small dwarf with hatred. To him, this young dwarf was no less evil than the others.
At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from behind. He instinctively turned to look.
In the narrow corridor, a dark figure slowly stepped into the light.
Taking advantage of his distraction, the small dwarf quickly slipped into a nearby gap that only a child's body could fit through. Damn!
He was too large to pursue.
Now, the only ones left in the cramped space were Kizashi, Sakura, and the figure blocking the exit.
As the figure emerged from the shadows, he recognized it—it was the same dwarf that had lured him away from the carriage. The white strands of hair hanging down from the back of its head were unmistakable.
But something was off. The dwarf appeared much taller than before.
When Kizashi had first seen it in the forest, its height had only reached his elbow, but now it was as tall as his shoulders. Not only that, but the dwarf's body had also grown bulkier.
Genjutsu?
He slowly backed away, shielding Sakura behind him with one hand while gripping his kunai tightly with the other. Unlike the other dwarves, which had wielded weapons, this one was unarmed, yet it stood its ground against him.
Suddenly, the dwarf lunged at Kizashi, arms outstretched in an attempt to grab him.
He swiftly dodged, pulling Sakura aside and switching positions with the dwarf. With the exit now clear, he shouted at Sakura, "Go find your mother!"
"What about you, Daddy?"
"I'll hold him off. Go, now!"
"Go!"
After his second shout, Sakura reluctantly ran down the passage they had come from. At least she's safe. Now, for this beast...
The dwarf cast a glance at the fleeing Sakura but didn't chase her. Kizashi had already blocked the exit.
Suddenly, the dwarf let out a terrifying roar. As it roared, its body underwent a grotesque transformation. Two bulging lumps appeared on either side of the dwarf's torso. These lumps rapidly grew, eventually forming into four new arms.
The dwarf now had six arms!
Not only that, but long, sharp, scythe-like claws extended from the bones in the middle of each hand.
As Kizashi stared in shock at the dwarf's monstrous transformation, his mind was bombarded with the realization of the creature's name.
Tcho-Tcho!
